Overcoming Skin Picking & Hair Pulling

Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs) Therapy In Alberta

If you find yourself compulsively pulling your hair, picking your skin, or biting your nails, you know how frustrating it can be to feel like you “can’t just stop.” These actions are known are Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs).

While they can lead to physical damage and deep feelings of shame, BFRBs are treatable. I offer virtual therapy for adults across Alberta – including Calgary, Edmonton, and smaller communities – to help you regain control and feel comfortable in your own skin again.

What Are BFRBs?

BFRBs are more than just “nervous habits.” They are intense urges to pick at the body in ways that cause harm. The most common types include:

Trichotillomania
(Hair Pulling Disorder)

Recurrent hair pulling from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or body.

Excoriation
(Skin Picking Disorder)

Repeated skin picking that can lead to sores or scarring.

Two hands with rings making a graceful gesture against a clear blue sky.

How Does Therapy Help BFRB?

Therapy helps BFRBs by combining Habit Reversal Training (HRT) with the Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Model to break the automatic cycle and address the underlying triggers. HRT gives you immediate tools to catch an urge to pick or pull before it happens. We figure out how to use a "blocking action" to stop the cycle in its tracks. The ComB Model goes deeper by looking at your "SCAMP" profile — your Senses, Cognitions, Affect, Motions, and Place. Instead of just "trying to stop," we work together to find out what your body is actually looking for and find a safe way to meet those needs.

How Does HRT Work?

Increasing Your Awareness

Learning to notice the exact moment your hand moves or the specific “itch” or “urge” that starts the cycle.

Changing Your Response

Developing a “replacement” action that makes it physically impossible to pick or pull at the moment.

Building Your Progress

Practicing these new physical habits until they become your automatic responses to an urge.

How Does The ComB Model Work?

Mapping Your Urges

Use the SCAMP framework to find if your urge comes from a specific Sense, Cognitive thought, Affect, Motor habit, or Place.

Meeting Your Needs

Instead of “just trying to stop”, we find swaps that give your body the sensation it is looking for without causing harm.

Adjusting Your Space

Making small changes to your surroundings – like adjusting lighting or removing mirrors – to make the behaviour less likely to happen.

How Does Online Therapy Help BFRBs?

Online therapy is highly effective for BFRBs because it allows us to work in your actual environment. By using virtual sessions, we can identify your specific physical triggers at home or work and practice "habit reversal" tools in real-time. This hands-on approach helps you build immediate, practical control over pulling or picking.

Laptop on a white table with a black screen, next to a glass of water with a green leaf plant inside, against a plain white background.

Have A Question About BFRB Therapy?

Many people feel like their hair pulling or skin picking is a secret they have to hide. In our session, we work in a judgment-free space. Whether your BFRB stands alone or happens alongside OCD or anxiety, therapy focuses on self-compassion and practical, day-to-day progress.

If you’re ready to take the first step, use the contact form to get in touch.

Please note. Messages sent through this form are for information purposes only and are not monitored 24/7. If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. For 24/7 support in Alberta, you can contact the Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642.